Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) symptom progression and treatment satisfaction from the patients' perspective

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a condition where pelvic organs descend into the vaginal canal due to weakened pelvic floor muscles. Nearly 50% of women will develop some degree of POP, with incidence peaking at ages 50-54 and 65-69. This study aims to identify early symptoms of POP and assess their progression, improvement, or regression from the patient's subjective perspective. This study also aims to understand patient satisfaction as it relates to treatment modalities.

An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst participants with a POP diagnosis that were over the age of eighteen and lived within the United States.

Among 158 participants, the feeling of a bulge (mean severity 6.62 reduced to 3.48), back pain (5.49 to 3.51), and constipation (5.56 to 3.91) showed the greatest improvement after surgical and non-surgical treatments for POP. Other common pelvic floor symptoms, including stress urinary incontinence (4.33 to 2.88), fecal incontinence (3.02 to 2.08), and dyspareunia (4.30 to 3.59), showed minimal improvement, while pelvic pain (4.73 to 4.00) and urinary retention (3.55 to 3.44) remained largely unchanged. Non-surgical treatments had lower satisfaction scores as compared to physical therapy and pessary usage. Surgical treatments such as posterior vaginal repair (7.02), anterior bladder repair (6.69), and vaginal vault sacrocolpopexy (7.45) showed higher satisfaction ratings.

Findings highlight the critical need for understanding symptom progression and regression as told from the patient's perspective. While data analysis shows resolution of some symptoms, the persistence of others post-treatment suggests that current treatment protocols may not fully address all aspects of POP effectively or may be unrelated.